Improvement in button-polishing machines



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. NILES.

Button-Polishing Machine. I No. 202,369. Patenjte'd April'l6, 1878.

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UNITED STATES PATEN r O FIoE.

\VILLIAM F. NILES, OF LEOMINSTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN BUTTON-POLISHING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 202,369, dated April16, 1878; application filed January 7, 1878.

.To all whom it mag concern:

forming a part of this specification, and in I which- Figure 1represents a front View, looking in the direction of arrow 1, Fig. 2.Fig. 2 represents a side .or end view of the machine. Fig. 3 represents,upon an enlarged scale, a vertical section on line A B, Fig. 1, lookingin the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 also represents, upon anenlarged scale, a section of a portion of the machine, as indicated bydotted lines O D looking in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1; and Fig. 5represents a plan view of one of the metal plates used or employed forsupporting the button shaft or spindle when made with a swivel-head, aswill be hereinafter described.

To venable those skilled in the art to which my invention belongs tomake and use the same, I will proceed to describe it more in detail.

The nature of my invention consists, first, in the combination, with therotating buttonsupporting reel, of an adjustable polishing or buffingwheel; second, in a rotating buttonsupporting reel provided with aseries of button-supports, as hereinafter described; third, aself-adjusting button-support, in combination with the rotating reel, aswill be hereinafter explained; fourth, the combination, with therotating button-supporting reel, of an automatic-adjustingbutton-discharging devicc,'as hereinafter described fifth, thecombination, with the button-discharging device, of a central-brush,ashereinafter described; sixth, in the combination, with thebutton-supporting stands, of square or cornered tapering button-holdingpins, as hereinafter described; seventh, the combination, in a machinefor polishing buttons, of a rotating button-sup.- porting reel, anautomatic button-discharging device, and one or more polishing balls orwheels; eighth, the combination, with the button-supporting reel andbutton-supports, of a friction-device, as and for the purposeshereinafter described.

In the drawings, the part marked A is the base of the machine, uponwhich is mounted the frame B. The upper ends B Bof the main frame B areprovided with slots a, (shown in dotted lines in the drawingS,) and inwhich slots are fitted adjustable bearing-pieces C, so constructed as toreceive and support the shaft D of the polishing-wheel D. In thisinstance the fibrous material of which the wheel D is composed isattached to a cylinder or hub-piece, D, said hub or cylinder being heldin place and secured to the shaft D by means of a set-nut, a, whichscrews upon the end of shaft D, a hub or pulley, D, being fastened uponthe opposite end of shaft D, against which the hub or cylinder D isforced by means of nut a.

The adjustable bearing-pieces O O are held in place by means ofscrews 1) l), which pass through the plates 0 and through slots a intocross or holding blocks (1 d, whereby said adjustable bearingpieces aresecurely clamped to the upper ends B B of the main frame B. Adjustablebearing-pieces O 0 may be moved up or down by means of adjusting-screwsd d. (Represented in Fig. l.) The object of the adjustment abovereferred to is for adjusting the polishing-wheel D as it wears away, sothat its periphery b will rotate in the proper position to polish thebuttons which may be placed upon button-stands.

In the lower back part of the frame is arranged another fibrouspolishing-wheel, E, whose supporting-shaft, its bearings, and theadjustment thereof may be constructed and arranged the same as those ofpolishing-wheel D, above described.

F is a central shaft fitted to turn in the heads F F of thebutton-supporting reel G, which is made up of the heads F F, flanges GG, and horizontal connecting-pieces G, which latter are secured at eachend to the flanges G G, the heads F F turning in bearings in the sidesof the main frame, and shaft F is so arranged that it can be turnedindependently of the reel G.

Reel G is operated as follows: A cog-gear, H, (shown in dotted lines,Fig. 2, and full lines,

Fig. 1,) fast on shaft F, gears into a cog-gear, H, on the end of shaftI, which is supported and turns in bearings I I on the cross-piece I ofthe main frame. Upon the opposite end of shaft I is a wheel, J, havingcogged teeth f upon a portion only of its periphery, as shown in Fig. 3of the drawings.

J is a pulley upon the end of shaft F, by which motion can becommunicated to the latter, thereby giving a rotary motion to shaft Ithrough cog-gear H, and as shaft I revolves an intermittent motion willbe imparted, by means of cogs f on wheel J, to the cog-wheel K on theend of a tubular stem, K, attached to the head F of the reel G on thatside of the machine.

The reel-arms G are to be provided with a series of button-supports, L.These supports are constructed as follows: A short shaft, L, issupported in a hearing which permits it to slide back and forth, asoccasion may require. On the inner end of such shaft is a bevelgear, 2,which gears into a bevel-gear, 3, fast on shaft F, and the outer end ofshaft L is provided with a button-supporting head, L, provided with oneor more tapering triangular button-holding pins, 4.

Each arm G of the reel is to be provided with one of thesebutton-supporting devices L on a line with each set of polishing-wheelsD and E, and any number of such sets desired may be arranged in themachine which the width thereof will permit, thus enabling several setsor series of buttons to be polished at the same time.

A spring, 5, is arranged to press upon each shaft L, for the purpose ofkeeping gear 2 out of mesh or into mesh, as the case may be. Thisfriction-spring 5 is secured to the side of the arm G with its bentpoint passing through a hole in the side of the arm and bearing againstshaft L, as fully indicated in Fig. l of the drawings by full and dottedlines.

The buttons to be polished are secured to the heads L of thebutton-supporting shafts or devices L by means of tapering triangularpins 4 passing through the holes in the but-' tons; and one or more ofthese pins 4 may be used in each head; one, however, will answer verywell.

The buttons, after they have been polished, are discharged by the hookedfingers 7 7, attached to the head 8 of a sliding frame, 9, which'isfitted to work up and down between suitable guides 10 10, attached tothe crosspiece I".

Sliding frame 9 has an opening, an, in which a cam, m, on shaft I workswhen shaft I is rotated, and a friction-roll, n, arranged to turn on ajournal, 11., having its ends supported in the sides of frame 9, is keptin contact with cam m by the contractive action of a spring, 0, one endof which is attached to the lower end of the sliding frame 9, and theupper end to the cross-piece I 5 but a different kind of a spring may beused, provided its arrangement is such that its force will be exerted topress or force frame 9 up so as to keep friction-roll n in contact withthe surface of cam m. i

A cleaning-brush, p, is properly secured in a hole in the upper end orhead of frame 9, and said brush is arranged so as to stand in a centralposition as respects the fingers 7 7 and button-supporting stands L, asfully indicated in full and dotted lines in the drawings.

The button-supportin g reel G rotates or turns in the directionindicated by arrow, Fig. 3. In Fig. 4, 0 represents the button in theposition just before it is withdrawn from the button stand or support Lby means of the fingers 7 7.

In lieu of making shafts L in one piece, they may be made with the headL swiveled thereto, as shown at s in Figs. 1, 2, and 3; and when this isdone, I cut the rails or cross-pieces G out, as shown at N, and securemetal plates N to said cross-pieces, as shown at 0, Fig. 1. When this isdone the metal plates N are cut out, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to allowthe heads L to cant over on one side, t, when the buttons are struck bythe polishing-wheels, thus increasing the effective action of the wheelsupon the surface of the buttons.

Power being applied to pulley J, the button-supportin g reel G is set inmotion, and at the same time a rapid rotary motion is given to'thepolishing-wheels by proper belts or otherwise.

The attendant, as reel- G revolves, places the buttons to be polishedupon the buttonsupports L when the latter are about in the positionpointing toward or in the same plane as arrow 1, Fig. 2, since, whenreel G is inthis position, it will be at rest.

The attendant also, at the same time, forces stand L in toward thecenter, so that its gear 2 will be in mesh with gear 3 on shaft F.

At the next contact of cogs f of wheel J with gear K, reel G is turnedanother quarter way around, and the buttons just placed upon the standsL will be carried up under polishing-wheel D, and another set ofbutton-stands, L, will be brought into position to be supplied withbuttons.

At the next quarter-turn the buttons first put on will be carried downto be acted upon by the cleaning or finishing wheel E, while at the nextquarter-turn they will be carried around below the fingers 7 7, incontact with brush p, which has a tendency to remove any remaining dirtwhich may happen to stick in the center of the button or in groovesthereof.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings the button is shown in the lastabove-described position, and, as cam m turns around so that its endm"presses roll it down, fingers 7 7 draw the button off of the pin orpins 4, and at the same time the action of fingers 7 7 draws shaft L outso as to withdraw gear 2 out of mesh with gear 3, and the saidbutton-supporting stands are ready to be refilled with buttons at thenext quarter-turn of reel G, as first above explained.

A friction-screw, P, is inserted in one of the bearings of the heads ofreel G, for the purpose of forcing a leather or rawhide pad against thehead F, so as to impart the necessary friction to keep reel G fromturning, excepting when propelled by cogs f on wheel J.

From the foregoing description it will-be seen that, after the reel hasbeen once around, while the attendant is refilling one set ofbutton-supports the buttons on one other set will be in position to bedischarged by the fingers 7 7, while those on one of the others will bein position to be finished and cleaned by the wheel F, and those on theother set will be in position to be polished by wheel D, therebyrendering the operation quite expeditious.

Having described my improvements in button-polishing machines, what Iclaim therein as new and of my invention, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the button-supporting reel G, provided with aseries of button supports or stands, L, of one or more adj ustablepolishing-wheels, D, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The rotating button-supporting reel G,

provided with rotating button-supports L, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

3. The combination, with the rotating button-supportin g reel G, of anadjustable buttonsupport, L, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

4. The combination, with the rotating button-supporting reel G, of theautomatic adjusting button-discharging device 7 8 9 10 m, substantiallyas described.

5. The combination, with the button-discharging device shown, of thecentral brush h, as and for the purposes set forth.

6. The combination, with the button-supporting stand L, of a square orcornered tapering button-holding pin, 4, substantially as and and forthe purposes set forth.

7. The combination, in a machine for polishing buttons, of a rotatingbutton-supporting reel, G, provided with a series of button-supportingstands, L, an automatic button-discharging device, as shown, and one ormore button-polishing balls or wheels, D, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

8. The combination, with the reel-arms G, of plate N, slotted asdescribed, and hinged button-supporting head L, as and for the purposesstated.

WILLIAM F. NILES.

Witnesses THOS. H. DODGE, EDWIN E. MooRE,

